The Third Way

What do you do when you don't want to sell your company and you don't want to go public either? We've been discussing this issue here at AVC for a long time. I think back to this post from 2008, almost five years ago now, as the kickoff of this long running conversation. This is something I care a lot about because my business model requires getting liquid but I hate the idea that my business model creates problems for the entrepreneurs we back.

Here's a great three minute discussion of this issue between Chad Dickerson, Etsy's CEO, and Sarah Lacy, from last thursday night's PandoMonthly event.

I've been having frequent private conversations about these issues with the CEOs of our portfolio companies and it's great to see some of that become public in venues like the Pando event. This is an important topic, not just for me or for AVC, but for the entire startup ecosystem.